Personal Health Reset: Days 10 and 11

The words a much needed personal health reset days 10 and 11 of 30 over a cartoon image of a tired woman holding a cup of coffee

Back in June, I shared a couple of posts about how I was getting a lot done. The downside was that I crashed a few days later as explained HERE.

Well, consider this an "Oops, I did it again!" post!

On Monday, my birthday, and the day after, I was feeling GREAT! The best I've felt in MONTHS! On Monday, I spent a ton of time exploring the city and enjoying my birthday. Tuesday, I spent much of my day cleaning, tidying, decluttering, and more at home. 

Wednesday? I crashed, HARD. I started out strong with a few chores in the morning, but by lunch time, I was exhausted. I crawled into bed with a book and quickly fell asleep. I ended up sleeping for several hours and then was so tired that I just stayed in bed most of the rest of the day. I had a virtual healthcare visit with my vestibular physical therapist and then had an MRI for my right sided hip pain in the late evening. Otherwise, most of the bed was spent just resting or sleeping.

Today, I woke up feeling pretty tired as well, but also extremely anxious. I did not sleep well due to worrying about my MRI results and almost obsessively checking for the results. My results finally came in mid-morning and my hip injury is what we (my doctor and I) expected but the severity is pretty darn bad. Unfortunately, there are only a few surgeons that do the procedure that I need. I was able to schedule an office visit with one of them for early May. 

I spent much of my day trying, unsuccessfully, to quell my anxiety and essentially had a panic attack this afternoon. I showered and got myself ready to go to an acupuncture appointment, but I left early enough that I was able to stop at the library for some books I had on hold, to pop into a newish bookstore, and to grab coffee and a pastry before the appointment. 

If you are ever in downtown Portland, Oregon, consider popping into the Central Library and exploring the architecture as well as the art they have on display (on the upper floors and a tree sculpture in the children's room). Follow that with a stop across the street at Grand Gesture Books with features romance novels and cozy fiction (among other things). Next door to Grand Gesture, you'll find a Portland and crafts focused gift shop called Crafty Wonderland. Next to Crafty Wonderland, you'll find Case Study Coffee which is excellent--terrific coffee and exceptional pastries. The olive tapenade scone was delicious!  

I picked up my library books, bought a couple of books, and enjoyed a tasty treat. I ended up still having an extra 15 minutes to spare before my appointment and popped into Lovejoy Bakery before they closed and picked up two loaves of olive ciabatta bread--my favorite!

The acupuncture clinic was so relaxing and the clinician was so kind and gentle. I definitely enjoyed the experience and appreciated the extra touches like a warming blanket on the table/bed, a heat lamp that could be positioned over whatever area of the body was best for you (I had them put it over my right hip), and dimmable lights. After my intake, the acupuncturist placed needles carefully and gently and then let me relax for about 25 minutes. I felt nice and cozy and did some deep breathing and visualization exercises related to my ongoing nausea and hip pain and just let myself also sort of float mentally. I'll be going back for a few more sessions over the next several weeks. 

After my appointment, I felt pretty good but like I needed to burn some energy. I wandered over to Tea Bar where I ordered a "mint majik" latte with oat milk and a muffin (I'm saving the muffin for breakfast tomorrow). The latte had blue spirulina in it and was such a beautiful shade of pastel blue with the most amazing creamy, soft foam! I took them over to Tanner Springs Park which is a one block nature preserve and one of my favorite places in all of Portland.

By the time I left the park, I was feeling a bit more settled and calm. Once home, I really felt relaxed and like I needed to nap, but it was almost 5pm and too late for a nap if I want to sleep tonight!

Tonight, my goal will be to drink some water, stop eating by 8pm, and be in bed at 11pm to read before doing some meditation to hopefully sleep better tonight. 

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